On Thursday 4 April, the European Parliament approved the new security rules for identity cards and residence permits issued in the EU. By 335 votes to 269 (21 abstentions), it validated the report by Gérard Deprez (ALDE, Belgium), which requires future cards to contain two fingerprints in the chip, a controversial element that led some Greens/EFA and S&D representatives to reject the text.
According to the Belgian, there are more than 250 different versions of identity cards and residence permits in the EU. Many of these documents are also “not very secure, some do not even have a chip, which facilitates identity fraud”.
The new rules therefore provide for a single format for all cards, including a European symbol. To enhance security, the inclusion of a facial image will also be mandatory. On data protection, the text provides that, unless permitted by national legislation, biometric data will only be saved outside the chip until the card is issued and for a maximum period of three months; thereafter, they will be destroyed.
The new cards will start to be issued within two years after the entry into force of the regulation. It is only after 10 years that all the cards currently in circulation will have to be replaced. The least secure cards will have to be replaced within five years. The regulation does not oblige countries that do not issue an identity card to do so. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)